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Perle's Vindication

One obligation of editors is to distinguish phony political scandal from the genuine article. On that standard, any number of writers and editors owe Richard Perle an apology.

The noted defense intellectual voluntarily resigned in March as chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee after his enemies pumped up a few anecdotes into allegations about "conflicts of interest." The Pentagon's Inspector General has been investigating those charges and last week issued a report absolving Mr. Perle...